


I've tasted blood (and it is sweet)

by grabmyboner



Series: the three amigos [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy is a good brother, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Bottom Billy Hargrove, Fluff and Smut, Gay Billy Hargrove, Harringrove, M/M, Max Needs A Hug, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Sibling Bonding, this isnt inxest pls dont even say that word to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 13:00:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21253781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grabmyboner/pseuds/grabmyboner
Summary: Max has nightmares and Billy helps the best he can.-“Mad Max?” That’s all it takes for Max’s tears to fall again and lunge towards him, engulfing him in a hug. Her arms wrap around his bare torso and her face is pushed against his chest, muffling the sobs that rattle her small frame.He slowly wraps his arms around her, looking to Steve for help. Steve slides across the sheets and presses against Billy’s back, looking over his shoulder and down at Max. “What happened?” He asks softly, a hand reaching around Billy and combing through her fiery hair.





	I've tasted blood (and it is sweet)

**Author's Note:**

> go check out my tumblr, grabmyboner.tumblr.com 
> 
> The title is from Nightmare by Halsey bc this fic is about nightmares and i'm not original enough to come up with another title lmao  
Comments are always welcome!!! Enjoy :)

_ Now I lay me down to sleep _

_ I pray the Lord, my soul to keep _

_ If I shall die before I 'wake _

_ I pray the Lord, my soul to take _

_ \-- _

Max gets nightmares. Billy doesn’t know what they’re about, she doesn’t tell him and he doesn’t ask - But they’re bad enough to have her tiptoeing into his room at 3:30am with red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. 

The first time it happened he squinted at the figure standing in his doorway. Max didn’t say anything, just shuffled forward and laid down on the edge of his bed, almost falling off and buried her face in his baby blue sheets and went back to sleep. It was so goddamn  _ weird  _ he just didn’t know what to say. He almost told her to fuck off, until he saw her shaking hands gripping the side of her pyjama pants before she laid down. 

It goes on like this for weeks. Not every night, but enough that when Billy goes to bed at night he sleeps on the side closest to the wall to leave room for her. She’s always gone when he wakes up. Before Neil wakes up. She’s smart, she doesn’t want to have to deal with that. Billy knows if he tells their parents, Neil won’t be sympathetic. He’ll say something along the lines of _‘be a big girl, Maxine’_ and_ ‘bad dreams are nothing to cry over’ _

But Billy can see that whatever wakes her at night, isn’t just a  _ bad dream.  _

Sometimes when the nightmare is particularly bad, Max will slide in next to him and push her runny nose into his bicep and cold fingers into his side, pressing against his rising ribs to ground her to something. To remind her she’s  _ awake  _ and she’s okay and Billy is here. Her big brother is here. And, sure, they have their differences, but they both know at the end of the day Billy would protect her from anything. 

One weekend, Susan and Neil are gone. Billy can’t remember where and really he could not give less of a shit. Because with those two out of the house, it means he can have Steve over. Max doesn’t know the full extent of what’s going on between them, but she knows they’re more than  _ friends.  _ She also knows why they had to leave California, and she doesn’t want that to happen here as well. Doesn’t want to see her brother like that again. 

So when the front doorbell rings to let them know Steve is here, Max beats Billy to the door and greets Steve with a smile too big and pulls him in and declares that they are having a scary movie marathon. Billy protests but Steve gives him those big brown eyes and says  _ Just a couple of movies, c’mon.  _ So, now Max is crammed between the two of them on their small couch, shoving popcorn in her mouth as they watch  _ The Exorcist.  _ The girl on the screen is spinning her head around when the sound of the walkie talkie crackles through the house. Max begrudgingly gets up to answer it. 

“Max is very clingy today,” Steve says, eyes still on the screen. 

“She’s annoying is what she is,” Billy replies as he rolls his head towards Steve and smirks, “We could be doing so many other things right now.” 

Steve turns to him and rolls his eyes, “Well, I think it’s cute.” 

Max is running down the hall with her backpack over her shoulder, “I gotta go, Dustin called a code red.” She says as she approaches the door. 

Steve turns to look at her with his brows pulled together “Code red?” 

“Uh, not that sort of code red. A nerd code red.” She clarifies with a smile. 

“Be back by midday tomorrow. Neil and Susan are supposed to be back by 2pm and we still need to clean the house.” Billy says, looking over his shoulder. “Whose house are you staying at?” 

“Dunno, probably El’s. Anyways, bye. Don’t do anything stupid.” Max replies as the door slams shut. 

“I didn’t realise your name was stupid, Harrington.” That earns him a punch to the arm. 

\--

Billy’s bent over the sink in the bathroom, steam is fogging up the mirror but he can still see Steve’s hair flopping around as he pounds into him at a relentless pace. He’s already managed to knock the bar of soap off the sink in his attempts to hold on for dear life. 

“Fuck, baby.” Billy moans out. Steve bends forward and presses his forehead against Billy’s shoulder, slowing down slightly. “ _ Don’t stop.”  _ He whines in response. 

Steve huffs a laugh and halts all movements “So bossy,” Billy pushes back against Steve to fuck himself on his cock, “Jesus, okay. Inpatient much.” Then Steve is standing back up, pushing Billy’s face into the cold surface of the sink and continuing his bruising pace. 

Billy pushes his ass up a bit and finds the gold at the end of the rainbow. The new angle hits  _ just  _ right. He lets out a deep cry and it echoes in the small space. Steve keeps going and Billy is spilling all over the white porcelain beneath him. All it takes is Billy clenching around him for Steve to follow him over the edge, filling Billy up to the brim with  _ him.  _

Teeth graze at Billy’s neck as Steve catches his breath and pulls out of him. He nips at the flesh on his neck causing the younger boy to let out a whimper. 

“Your spunk is dripping out of me.” Billy groans. 

“Ew! Billy, you’re so fucking gross.” 

Billy laughs and stands up, turning to face Steve, “You love it.” Steve gives him that face, the doe-eyed, gooey face that makes his stomach swoon. 

“I do.” 

Steve leans down and presses a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling him into the already running shower. He begins lathering soap and running it over Billy’s golden skin from behind him, kneading his shoulders as he goes. 

“So, what’s up with Max?” 

Billy leans his head back and rests it against Steve’s shoulder as he runs his hands down his arms. “I don’t know. She’s been having nightmares.” 

“Nightmares?” Steve says slowly, lips pressed to his temple. 

“Yeah. I don’t know what they’re about, but she’s been sleeping in bed with me.” 

Billy feels Steve’s lips pull into a thin line against his skin and he pulls the showerhead down to wash the soap off him. “Have you told her mom?” 

“If Max wanted her to know, she would tell her.” Billy reasons. Steve puts the showerhead back and wraps his arms around Billy, hiding his face against the smaller boys neck. “I guess. Do the nightmares at least stop when she’s with you?” He asks. 

Billy nods and turns in Steve’s arms to look at him. “Has she said anything to curly about it?” 

Steve leans his forehead against his and shrugs, “Dustin hasn’t mentioned anything, and I would have told you if he did.” 

“Hopefully she’ll grow out of it. Maybe it’s just a hormonal teenage girl thing, moving across the country away from everything you know surely wouldn’t help.” 

Steve doesn’t look convinced but he doesn’t press any further. 

\-- 

It’s 2am, Billy’s arm is hanging off the bed and his head is cushioned against Steve’s bicep. He feels the boy next to him move and suddenly the arm is pulled from beneath his head, waking him. He lets out a groan. 

“Max?” Steve says, sleep lacing his voice. Billy opens his eyes at that and turns to his door to see the girl wrapped in a jacket that isn’t hers and the clothes she left in. Billy turns over and sits up as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. 

“Did you just get home?” He asks, “How did you get home?” He adds, hoping to God that she did not walk at this time of night.

“I walked.” She sniffles. Of fucking course. 

“Maxine!” Billy grumbles, Steve nudges at his side and he turns to look at him. 

“Bill. Look at her.” Steve whispers, staring over his shoulder at Max. 

He turns back around and actually takes in the sight in front of him. The jacket wrapped around her has a ‘Hawkins Police’ logo on it and she has dirt on her knees and shorts. Her little hands are balled in the sleeves and she isn’t wearing any shoes. He looks at her face, her eyes are puffy and red and she’s pulling at the skin on her lips with her teeth making them bleed. She has snot shining on her top lip. 

Billy leans forward, pressing his feet to the cold floor, “Mad Max?” That’s all it takes for Max’s tears to fall again and lunge towards him, engulfing him in a hug. Her arms wrap around his bare torso and her face is pushed against his chest, muffling the sobs that rattle her small frame. 

He slowly wraps his arms around her, looking to Steve for help. Steve slides across the sheets and presses against Billy’s back, looking over his shoulder and down at Max. “What happened?” He asks softly, a hand reaching around Billy and combing through her fiery hair. 

“I had a n-n-nightmare.” She breathes out. 

“So you ran all the way home at 2 in the morning?” Billy asks with a frown. Steve pinches at his side and gives him wide eyes that say  _ shut up idiot, you’re not helping _ . 

“Why didn’t you wake up El? Or Hopper? They would have helped, they could have driven you home at least.” Steve says. He moves his hand under Max’s chin and pushes her head up to look at them. 

“I don’t know.” She whispers. “I just-I, I didn’t want them to, to um, i-i-i don’t know.” She cries, her bottom lip quivering. 

“Didn’t want them to what, Max?” Billy asks gently as one hand cups Max’s round cheek. 

She sniffles and shrugs, “Think of me differently. Think I couldn’t handle it.” 

Billy doesn’t get to ask what  _ it  _ is. What she supposable can’t handle as a 14-year-old girl but Steve cuts in, “Shit. Max, they would never think that. No one would.” 

Billy doesn’t know if Steve actually knows what Max is referring to but doesn’t say anything, just lets Steve continue. 

“Next time tell Hop, or Joyce or hell radio me and I’ll come to get you. Okay?” 

She nods and closes her eyes, leaning further into Billy’s palm that is still holding her cheek. 

“You need to go to bed, shitbird,” Billy says. Max’s eyes fly open in fear. 

“You can sleep in here,” Steve says, Billy turns to him and frowns, “She can sleep in here,” Steve repeats to him. 

Max takes that as an invitation to climb around Billy and shove her way between the two boys. Steve moves back and lays down with his back pressed against the wall, looking up at Billy with a small smile. 

“The bed is not big enough for three people.” Billy protests. 

“Sleep on the floor.” Max murmurs into the cotton of his pillow. Steve huffs out a laugh. 

He pokes at his sister’s side before laying down and staring at the ceiling. He feels Max’s hand reach behind her and feel around, she stops when she grasps his hand and pulls his arm over her. She drops it on top of Steve’s hand that is splayed on the bed and goes back to squishing her arms against her chest. 

Steve turns his hand around and intwines their fingers together, leaning down and pressing a small kiss to them before he lets out a sigh and a quiet, “Goodnight.” 

Max’s hair tickles Billy’s nose, and Steve’s hand feels clammy against his, and his ass is definitely hanging off the edge of the bed - But he feels happy. Laying here with two people he  _ loves.  _ His annoying little sister and his annoying boyfriend. What more could he want? 


End file.
